Water recovery unit and method



Dec. 23, 1958 G. P. EIDMAN ET AL 2,865,138

WATER RECOVERY UNIT AND METHOD Filed Nov. 13, 1956 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,865,138 WATER tREcovERY UNIT METHOD -Glen '1). Eidmam-Glenm jEugene L. Begg, ACl1ic0, and

"GeorgefFL Hafer, Davis, Calif. tspplicatimNovember .13, .1956, Serial Norcia-71s A8 Claims. (Cl. -'4l-"58) 'Thergpresent invention-Lisrdirectedto, anditfis a major 'objectto. provide, a novelV device to: accumulateA andstore water forzhuman, wild life, :ortlivesstock consumption when-under emergency conditions-a usual orfnormal `sourcesof supply is"unavailable;=the 'devlce'functioning to :collectfthe waterzfrom the `vapors transpired by the green tissues or leaves of livingfplants.

VAnother important objectY of the invention is. to provide Va-water'rrecovery unit which is vconstructedso `that it is `off'light weight, portable,. and lfoldable into a compact f unit-.sohatitcan rbe 4readily carried in Van emergency or recjovery unit which is simple in structure, economical Lto manufacture, and easy to use; the device .including a `novel water accumulating 'bag adapted to enclose, .in Asubstantially airtight relation, the green-tissues Vor leaves of a living plant, and-as transpiration occurs-to then cause condensation and recovery of the water from the vapors; exhaled from such tissues or leaves.

.KA-still further objectvof theinventionis toprovide a practical and reliable water recovery unit, and one which is exceedingly effective for thefpurpose for which it is designed.

These -objects r-are accomplished by mea-ns of such structure andvrelative arrangement of parts as -will fully appear by a. perusal of thefollowing specification and l claims.

.Inthe drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation showingthe'vwater` recovery unit as in use.

Fig. 2 is a similar but enlarged view, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the filter unit, detached.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the lter unit, detached.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the novel, water recovery unit is constructed in the main of flexible moisture-proof material such as plastic, and is also impermeable to air; the unit comprising an elongated preferably cylindrical bag 1 of substantial diameter.

The bag 1 is provided-at the top-with a drawstring 2, while the bottom 3 of such bag is funnel-like and includes a depending central outlet tube 4 normally closed by a pinch-cock clamp 5.

In the lower portion thereof, but some distance above the bottom 3, the bag 1 is tted internally with a funnellike false bottom 6 having a 4depending central neck 7. Such neck 7 communicates-at its lower end-with the apex of the conical top 8 of a cylindrical receptacle 9 whose lower edge is secured to the funnel-like bottom 3 to form therewith an enclosed water storage chamber or reservoir 10.

Vbag.

ICC

`r2 The cylindrical recepta-clefBiS-of Vconsiderably lesser diameter than the -bag 1, beingldisposed symmetrically therein, andAprevented from collapse-when the -device `is Vin useby an inverted frusto-conical web 11 which connects between the lower edge oftheconcal top 18 and the Vbag 1in a higher plane.r

A cylindrical lter unit, indicated generally at v12, is inserted in the neck 7; suc-h ilter unitbeing shown'in detail idF-ige 3 and 4 and `comprising the following:

The filter unit 12is made up'of a rigidtubular body lprovided withend plugs 14;one atleast beingremov able. The end plugs 14 areformed with a'multiplicity of openings or perforations #15# while the-tubular body 13 is iilled with activated charcoalll6; there being a circular `filter pad 17 between each'end plug 14 andthe activated vcharcoal-'16 in saidbody 13.

In `useof the above `4described water recovery unit,

the ybag l1 is-nitially open at-the top and it is'drawn upwardlyover abranch18 `of la tree,=bush, or other plant 19; this-toftheendthat the lgreenleaves orfoliage 20 on such branch hang within the-upper portion ofsaid Thereafter, -the drawstring 2 is pulled-taut and tied, thus closing the top of-thebag` above the branch 18 so that such bag isthen substantially airtight.

The-bag, of course, depends 4fromfthe branch 18not only about the Vgreen leaves, ortfoliage 120, -but some distance therebelow in order todisposethe storage charn- `berl or reservoir-lltlin a bottomt'position.

-With theclarnp-`5 in place, and the bag attached to ',a

branch 18, as above described, lthe Vtemperature inside 'the bag "1 "begins-to r-ise,^thus -setti-ng'up a temperature ldiierential between the atmosphere withint-he-bag and that outside thereof. As transpiration-takes place from Vthe ...green -leaves or foliage 20, the relative humidity withinjsa-id bag increases, and by'reason of the temperaturediferentialbetween `the inside and outside-ofthe bag-thewatervfrom the vapors of transpiration Within thebag condenses on the inside -surface'thereof'as Vsmall vdroplets121. These small water droplets then run downwardly in thebag,-passing throughl theffilter unit 12, and 'thence'into the storage chamber or reservoir 10 where a quantity of water builds up, as at 22. The'purpose of the filter unit 12, including the activated charcoal 16 and filter pads 17, is to remove any foreign matter, twigs,

ileaves, or insects, and to lter out any undesirable taste 'oravor'from thewater before it passes into the storage chamber or reservoir `10.

After a quantity of'water has accumulated in such releasing the clamp 5.

The present invention thus provides a very unique and effective device for obtaining water, by condensation, which is transpired from the green tissues or leaves of growing plants, and under conditions where no other supply of water can be obtained.

From the foreging description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device, as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

l. A water recovery unit comprising an initially open receptacle arranged to encompass and to depend from receptacle being of a material impermeable to air, means g u to close the receptacle in substantially airtight relation about the green tissue, the receptacle being water-tight so as to retain water in a portion thereof below the encompassed greentissue, and normally closed but releasable water outlet means directly communicating with said portion of the receptacle.

2. A water recovery unit, as in claim 1, including a transverse partition in the receptacle above said portion thereof but below the encompassed green tissues, the partition having passage means therethrough in communication with said portion of the receptacle, and a lilter unit in said passage means; the lter unit comprising a tubular body, ends closing the body, said ends being perforate, and filter material in the body between the ends.

3. A water recovery unit comprising an elongated initially open-topped bag of flexible material impermeable to air, the bag being adapted to encompass green tissues of a living plant, means to secure the bag at the top in substantially air-tight relation about the adjacent part of the plant, the bag being cylindrical and elongated to depend to a lower end termination below the encompassed green tissues, a funnel-like bottom on the bag, said bottom including a central depending outlet tube, a releasable clamp on the tube, a funnel-like false bottom in the bag between the encompassed green tissues and said rst named bottom, the false bottom including a central depending neck, a filter unit in the neck, a cylindrical receptacle of lesser diameter than the bag disposed symmetrically therein below the false bottom, the receptacle having a conical top with which said neck communicates, the lower edge of the receptacle being affixed to said rst named bottom whereby the latter forms a bottom closure for said receptacle, and an inverted frusto-conical web secured between the receptacle adjacent the top and the sidewall of the bag in a higher transverse plane.

4. A water recovery unit comprising a receptacle adapted to substantially enclose green tissues of an externally growing living plant, the closure being sufcient to cause a temperature dilferential between the inside of the receptacle and the surrounding atmosphere, the receptacle being of a flexible material impermeable to air, and means included with the receptacle adapted to collect water condensed from the vapors of transpiration trapped in said receptacle.

5. A water recovery unit comprising a single elongated initially open-topped bag of flexible water-tight material and the upper portion of which forms a receptacle to encompass and to depend from green tissues ofan exteriorly growing living plant, means to close the bag in substantially air-tight relation with the plant above said tissue, a false bottom in the bag intermediate the ends thereof, a closed reservoir within the bag below said false bottom and formed in part with the lower end of the bag, a normally closed outlet from the bottom of the reservoir, a restricted passage-forming neck connecting the false bottom and the reservoir at the top thereof, and a filter unit plugging the neck passage.

6. A structure, as in claim 5, in which said filter unit comprises a tubular body, perforate ends mounted on the body, activated charcoal in the body, and filter pads between the charcoal and said perforate ends.

7. A water recovery unit comprising a single elongated initially open-topped bag of exible water-tight material and having an upper interior portion arranged to encompass green tissues of an eXteriorly growing living plant and to depend therefrom, means to secure the bag at the top about the plant above said tissues in substantially air-tight relation, a reservoir formed with the bag below said portion and communicating directly therewith to collect water condensed from the vapors of transpiration trapped in said upper portion of the bag, and a normally closed outlet passage connected to the bottom of the reservoir.

8. A method of recovering water from the green tissues of a living plant consisting in enclosing such tissues in a water-tight bag in a substantially air-tight manner and so that the lower portion of the bag depends below the enclosed tissues, leaving the bag in place a sufficient length of time for the water vapors transpiring from the tissues and contacting the inner surface of the bag to condense and drain down and collect to a measurable quantity in said lower portion of the bag, and providing for the selective withdrawal for use of such collected water from the bag from below the same.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,208,882 Young Dec. 19, 1916 1,621,818 Wallace Mar. 22, 1927 2,446,509 Fischer Aug. 3, 1948 2,592,976 Thomas Apr. 15, 1952 2,764,844 Young Oct. 2, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES 

